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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · drill · race · bass · board · degree · branch · wave

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. drill — army training
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fall — to drop
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bass — low music
  10. fall — the season
  11. branch — a division
  12. bass — the fish
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fall — to drop
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. board — a committee
  24. wave — with your hand

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com